hdd ssd sata Plextor PX-256M2S review

The Plextor PX-256m2 is one of the three proposed models. With a capacity of 256, it is at the top of the range, with 64GB and 128GB versions also available.

It is a very specific line of SSD drives, offering write speeds up to 480 Mbps, and reads up to 330MBps. To achieve this kind of thoughput, uses the latest generation of Serial ATA, SATA 6 Gbps.

But keep in mind that nominal rates are applicable only in the larger disk of 256 GB: research on the 64 GB disk more affordable, we can see the specification of "up to 370MBps and" 110MBps for reads and inputs, respectively .To help keep the pace, players have 128 MB of DDR3 RAM cache, and support the drive controller is a Marvell chip 88SS9174.

With these specifications, there is a certain degree of overlap with the crucial winning ACC RealSSD C300 256 GB, and were particularly intrigued to see how readers compare the performance.

The player itself is embedded in an aluminum case, chip size to fit any space designed for standard 2.5-inch portable hard drive. In 72g, it is a lighter to a third comparable 2.5-inch drive.

Benchmarking SSD is still somewhat of an inexact science: unlike hard disk technology that allows a good level of consistency and repeatability, the SSD is going to change their behavior in normal use and wear.

Features such as trim (OS done by computer) and garbage collection and wear leveling (controlled by the chip's speed controller) is hired to help keep these players healthy compatible. But nevertheless, there is some variation in the results, the witnesses simply by repeating the same series of tests to benchmark performance.

And to play some of the results of some tests with Plextor Plextor PX-de 256m2, while results were found with different reference tools.

For example, we confirmed a consequence, the speed as "endurance" with the venerable ATTO benchmark.
Here we saw a maximum read speed of 483MBps (in the proof of transfer size of 512 kb) and a maximum write speed of 339MBps (cherry picking the results 32kB). No matter how you look, these results are impressive powerful.

As for modern testing tools, we see not only the maximum speed in a row, but said polls stacked-up transfer small files, and input / output per second (IOPS).

CrystalDiskMark In testing, we have seen the figures and 436 320MBps read and write speeds of random data. To 4kB data if these speeds are significantly reduced at 17 and 45Mbps. And with the 4K QD32 setting, we have seen a speed of 69 and 47MBps.

To give some context here, we retested Crucial RealSSD on the same PC workstation, a testing newly built to accommodate such works.

What mattered was ATTO read / write data at 350 and 238MBps, and comparable figures in the benchmark CDM - after all a little Plextor PX-256m2.

But the turning point of the passage of a small file, the crucial question was about twice as fast: 33 and 86MBps for 4KB file. 4K QD in 32 tests, was far from decisive, recording read / write here in 244 and 204MBps.

SSD was used as a reference for an idea of ​​IOPS. Crucial here is the rounded RealSSD IOPS showed counts 56,000 and 45,000 in the 4K test 64 threads. As for the Plextor PX-256m2 could only muster about 17,000 and 11,000 IOPS read and write cycles.

Configuring the application of CDM to write a string of zeros in the disk speed of the Plextor PX-256m2 were more or less similar in 447 and 333MBps, respectively, with small file transfers, even with random data results.

This suggests that the Marvell controller does not attempt to compress / decompress data to fly to strengthen its action figures, as we have seen, the SSD to use some of the other drivers.